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The majority of the media are complaining about this movie. Now Paul
Harvey tells "The rest of the story" and David Limbaugh praises
Gibson. Most people would wait and see a movie before giving the reviews
that have been issued by the reporters trying to tell all of us what to
believe.
Paul Harvey's words:
I really did not know what to expect. I was thrilled to have been invited to
a private viewing of Mel Gibson's film "The Passion," but I had also read
all the cautious articles and spin. I grew up in a Jewish town and owe much
of my own faith journey to the influence. I have a life long, deeply held
aversion to anything that might even indirectly encourage any form of
anti-Semitic thought, language or actions.
I arrived at the private viewing for "The Passion", held in Washington DC
and greeted some familiar faces. The environment was typically
Washingtonian, with people greeting you with a smile but seeming to look
beyond you, having an agenda beyond the words. The film was very briefly
introduced, without fanfare, and then the room darkened. From the gripping
opening scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, to the very human and tender
portrayal of the earthly ministry of Jesus, through the betrayal, the
arrest, the scourging, the way of the cross, the encounter with the thieves,
the surrender on the Cross, until the final scene in the empty tomb, this
was not
simply a movie; it was an encounter, unlike anything I have ever
experienced.
In addition to being a masterpiece of film-making and an artistic triumph,
"The Passion" evoked more deep reflection, sorrow and emotional reaction
within me than anything since my wedding, my ordination or the birth of my
children. Frankly, I will never be the same. When the film concluded, this
"invitation only" gathering of "movers and shakers" in Washington, DC were
shaking indeed, but this time from sobbing. I am not sure there was a dry
eye in the place. The crowd that had been glad-handing before the film was
now eerily silent. No one could speak because words were woefully
inadequate. We had experienced a kind of art that is a rarity in life, the
kind that makes heaven touch earth.
One scene in the film has now been forever etched in my mind. A brutalized,
wounded Jesus was soon to fall again under the weight of the cross. His
mother had made her way along the Via Della Rosa. As she ran to him, she
flashed back to a memory of Jesus as a child, falling in the dirt road
outside of their home. Just as she reached to protect him from the fall, she
was now reaching to touch his wounded adult face. Jesus looked at her with
intensely probing and passionately loving eyes (and at all of us through the
screen) and said "Behold I make all things new." These are words taken from
the last Book of the New Testament, the Book of Revelations. Suddenly, the
purpose of the pain was so clear and the wounds, that earlier in the film
had been so difficult to see in His face, His back, indeed all over His
body, became intensely beautiful. They had been borne voluntarily for love.
At the end of the film, after we had all had a chance to recover, a question
and answer period ensued. The unanimous praise for the film, from a rather
diverse crowd, was as astounding as the compliments were effusive. The
questions included the one question that seems to follow this film, even
though it has not yet even been released. "Why is this film considered by
some to be "anti-Semitic?" Frankly, having now experienced (you do not
"view" this film) "the Passion" it is a question that is impossible to
answer. A law professor whom I admire sat in front of me. He raised his hand
and responded "After watching this film, I do not understand how anyone can
insinuate that it even remotely presents that the Jews killed Jesus. It
doesn't." He continued "It made me realize that my sins killed Jesus" I
agree.
There is not a scintilla of anti-Semitism to be found anywhere in this
powerful film. If there were, I would be among the first to decry it. It
faithfully tells the Gospel story in a dramatically beautiful, sensitive and
profoundly engaging way.
Those who are alleging otherwise have either not seen the film or have
another agenda behind their protestations. This is not a "Christian" film,
in the sense that it will appeal only to those who identify themselves as
followers of Jesus Christ. It is a deeply human, beautiful story that will
deeply touch all men and women. It is a profound work of art. Yes, its
producer is a Catholic Christian and thankfully has remained faithful to the
Gospel text; if that is no longer acceptable behavior than we are all in
trouble. History demands that we remain faithful to the story and Christians
have a right to tell it. After all, we believe that it is the greatest story
ever told and that its message is for all men and women. The greatest right
is the right to hear the truth.
We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which
"The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a
Jewish Rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the
world. The problem is not the message but those who have distorted it and
used it for hate rather than love. The solution is not to censor the
message, but rather to promote the kind of gift of love that is Mel Gibson's
filmmaking masterpiece, "The Passion."
It should be seen by as many people as possible. I intend to do everything I
can to make sure that is the case. I am passionate about "The Passion." You
will be as well. Don't miss it!
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This is a commentary by DAVID LIMBAUGH about Mel Gibson's very
controversial movie regarding Christ's crucifixion. It, too, is well worth
reading.
MEL GIBSON'S passion for "THE PASSION"
How ironic that when a movie producer takes artistic license with historical
events, he is lionized as artistic, creative and brilliant, but when another
takes special care to be true to the real-life story, he is vilified.
Actor-producer Mel Gibson is discovering these truths the hard way as he is
having difficulty finding a United States studio or distributor for his
upcoming film, "The Passion," which depicts the last 12 hours of the life of
Jesus Christ.
Gibson co-wrote the script and financed, directed and produced the movie.
For the script, he and his co-author relied on the New Testament Gospels of
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as well as the diaries of St. Anne Catherine
Emmerich (1774-1824) and Mary of Agreda's "The City of God"
Gibson doesn't want this to be like other sterilized religious epics. "I'm
trying to access the story on a very personal level and trying to be very
real about it." So committed to realistically portraying what many would
consider the most important half-day in the history of the universe, Gibson
even shot the film in the Aramaic language of the period. In response to
objections that viewers will not be able to understand that language, Gibson
said, "Hopefully, I'll be able to transcend the language barriers with my
visual storytelling; if I fail, I fail, but at least it'll be a monumental
failure."
To further insure the accuracy of the work, Gibson has enlisted the counsel
of pastors and theologians, and has received rave reviews. Don Hodel,
president of Focus on the Family, said, "I was very impressed. The movie is
historically and theologically accurate." Ted Haggard, pastor of New Life
Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., and president of the National Evangelical
Association, glowed: "It conveys, more accurately than any other film, who
Jesus was."
During the filming, Gibson, a devout Catholic, attended Mass every morning
because "we had to be squeaky clean just working on this." From Gibson's
perspective, this movie is not about Mel Gibson. It's bigger than he is.
"I'm not a preacher, and I'm not a pastor," he said. "But I really feel my
career was leading me to make this. The Holy Ghost was working
through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the film
has the power to evangelize."
Even before the release of the movie, scheduled for March 2004, Gibson is
getting his wish. "Everyone who worked on this movie was changed. There
were agnostics and Muslims on set converting to Christianity...[and] people
being healed of diseases." Gibson wants people to understand through the
movie, if they don't already, the incalculable influence Christ has had on
the world. And he grasps that Christ is controversial precisely because of
WHO HE IS - GOD incarnate. "And that's the point of my film really, to show
all that turmoil around him politically and with religious leaders and the
people, all because He is Who He is."
Gibson is beginning to experience first hand just how controversial Christ
is. Critics have not only speciously challenged the movie's authenticity,
but have charged that it is disparaging to Jews, which Gibson vehemently
denies. "This is not a Christian vs. Jewish thing. '[Jesus] came into the
world, and it knew him not.' Looking at Christ's crucifixion, I look first
at my own culpability in that." Jesuit Father William J. Fulco, who
translated the script into Aramaic and Latin, said he saw no hint of
anti-Semitism in the movie. Fulco added, "I would be aghast at any
suggestion that Mel Gibson is anti-Semitic." Nevertheless, certain groups
and some in the mainstream press have been very critical of Gibson's
"Passion."
The New York Post's Andrea Peyser chided him: "There is still time, Mel, to
tell the truth." Boston Globe columnist James Carroll denounced Gibson's
literal reading of the biblical accounts. "Even a faithful repetition of the
Gospel stories of the death of Jesus can do damage exactly because those
sacred texts themselves carry the virus of Jew hatred," wrote Carroll. A
group of Jewish and Christian academics has issued an 18-page report
slamming all aspects of the film, including its undue emphasis on Christ's
passion rather than "a broader vision." The report disapproves of the
movie's treatment of Christ's passion as historical fact.
The moral is that if you want the popular culture to laud your work on
Christ, make sure it either depicts Him as a homosexual or as an everyday
sinner with no particular redeeming value (literally). In our anti-Christian
culture, the blasphemous "The Last Temptation of Christ" is celebrated, and
"The Passion" is condemned. But if this movie continues to affect people the
way it is now, no amount of cultural opposition will suppress its force and
its positive impact on lives everywhere. Mel Gibson is a model of faith and
courage. | 
